Negotiations were ramped up when Joshua replied to Wilder’s Instagram post last week saying “let’s roll” – before the American’s representative Shelly Finkel dished out a 48-hour deadline to their $50 million offer.

“They made an offer which we are interested in,” Hearn explained. “I went back and asked for the terms of the contract, which was denied.

“We had a meeting last Friday which was cancelled. They didn’t want to have a meeting because it was non-productive.”

Joshua would bring the IBF, WBA and WBO titles into a potential fight against WBC holder Wilder.